


Mark of the Beast

by RabbitsAreAwesome



Series: whumptober 2020 [6]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, Blood, Demonic Beast Transformation, Gen, Hero's Relics are dangerous, Hopeful Ending, Marianne and Hilda centric, Marianne gets hurt in this, Please..., Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Semi-Ambiguous Ending, Sorry if they are ooc, Whumptober 2020, also probably sentient, remember that one canon comment about people turning into beasts regardless of compatible crests, so I made it happen, yeah... me too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:07:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26871142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RabbitsAreAwesome/pseuds/RabbitsAreAwesome
Summary: Marianne had believed for the longest time that she was cursed. It wasn’t until the Professor and her classmates helped her realize that she wasn’t what her crest made her. She felt more confident in herself, it was still a struggle sometimes to remember that she wasn’t an omen of evil, but she was getting better. She had been getting better.Marianne hadn’t felt anything other than a great sadness when she realized that Maurice’s human body had practically disappeared while he was a beast. The only thing keeping him intact was the energy from the relic. Blutgang.When the Professor and Claude handed her the weapon and told her that she deserved it, Marianne had very conflicting feelings. For one, she was a healer, she didn’t like hurting other people. It wasn’t in her nature to do harm. But in the course of the war, she found herself using the sword more and more.
Relationships: Marianne von Edmund & Golden Deer Students, Marianne von Edmund & Hilda Valentine Goneril, can be read as gen - Relationship, implied Marianne/Hilda - Relationship
Series: whumptober 2020 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1950856
Comments: 3
Kudos: 18
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Mark of the Beast

Marianne had believed for the longest time that she was cursed. It wasn’t until the Professor and her classmates helped her realize that she wasn’t what her crest made her. She felt more confident in herself, it was still a struggle sometimes to remember that she wasn’t an omen of evil, but she was getting better. She _had_ been getting better. 

The idea of her being a beast, a monster, hadn’t been truly purged from her mind until the fight with Maurice. The Beast in the flesh. Actually, no, he was a man, like any other whose relic had transformed him into an unrecognizable monster just like Miklan five years ago. 

Marianne hadn’t felt anything other than a great sadness when she realized that Maurice’s human body had practically disappeared while he was a beast. The only thing keeping him intact was the energy from the relic. Blutgang. 

When the Professor and Claude handed her the weapon and told her that she deserved it, Marianne had very conflicting feelings. For one, she was a healer, she didn’t like hurting other people. It wasn’t in her nature to do harm. But in the course of the war, she found herself using the sword more and more. 

It became second nature to her. A part of the sword resonated with her like nothing else did. It helped keep her calm and ensured that every strike rang true. It protected her. It was almost a part of her, a natural extension of her hand. 

Marianne remembers having asked Hilda what it felt like to wield Freikugel and she had reposed that while the weapon was a pain, it was easier to use than anything else. That answer didn’t really help Marianne feel comfortable with just how strong she felt the pull to her weapon sometimes. She had gone to ask Claude next. 

Claude had said that Failnaught was just like any other weapon. Marianne had deflated a bit and Claude realized that Marianne was seriously troubled by something. Claude had only deflected because he too thought it odd just how right Failnaught felt. He explained as much to Marianne. He had said that Failnaught filled a void inside of him that he didn’t even know was there until something filled in that spot. He also said that sometimes it felt like Failnaught just knew exactly where to shoot to ensure that the arrow hit its target every time. Cladue said that Failnaught saved his life too many times to count by now. 

It was Claude’s words that comforted Marianne more than anything. If Claude said he experienced the same then it must be normal. Right? She must be overthinking it. Yeah. That was it. She was being overly paranoid. Nothing was going wrong. It was _natural._

Marianne was fine. She was going to be just fine. Blutgang _protects_ her. It would be okay. She just had to keep telling herself that. 

As long as she said that, it didn’t matter if she was becoming bloodier after every battle. It didn’t matter that she was using Blutgang more than her faith magic. It was a _protector_ not an enemy. She’d be fine.

She wasn’t a monster anymore. 

* * *

Hilda should’ve realized it. She should’ve realized it sooner than anyone else. She should’ve said something, done something. She should’ve but she didn’t and now. _Now_ Mari was in danger and no one was going to be able to reach her in time. 

_When did she even reach the frontlines? When did she become so proficient with that sword? Why is she fighting all the way up here?_

Mari was always, _always,_ in the back line. She was protected and she kept us alive. But now, _now_ , she was halfway through the Imperial army’s battalion and no one was there. _No one was there._ Not even Hilda would be able to make it in time. 

She looked for Claude’s white wyvern atop her own, and saw him diving and flying around enemies with ease. He was flying circles around them, pushing his wyvern faster and faster. Hilda was to cover him and he desperately flew to reach Marianne. Hilda wished she was as skilled as he but his strength was mobility, dexterity, and hers was strength. A shield, no Claude would be upset if she worded it that way. She was more of a, well, a storm. Yeah, she cleared the way for Claude and kept others away from him. 

In this case though, she made sure no one could follow Claude as he swept past them. 

“Marianne! Stop!” Claude’s yell pierced Hilda. 

It shook her down to her very core. It was the most distressed she had ever heard her friend and leader sound. She quickly tore down every soldier in her way. She forced her way through the line and watched as Claude readied an arrow. She saw it was aimed right for Marianne. 

“Claude! What are you doing?!” Hilda screamed. 

“It’s for her own good!” He yelled right back. “Just look at her weapon!” 

The fact is, Claude may not advertise it, but he’s an archer, a damn good one too. He has the lithe body and the hawk-like eyes. In most cases he remembers that while Hilda had gotten used to looking at the ground below and recognizing figures, she still didn’t have his inhuman ability to just _see._

But Hilda was surprised that she could see the way that Mari’s relic just glowed. And by glow, Hilda meant that the very weapon itself could be a beacon beckoning sailors home. It was bright and blinding. It was the most Hilda had ever seen a relic’s crest stone glow. Except for… 

_No.... no… oh no… not Mari…_

“That’s impossible.” 

Claude’s arrow fired and Marianne, gently sweet Marianne who’d rather never pick up a sword turned so quickly and actually deflected, _deflected_ Claude’s arrow. Claude’s arrow, from Failnaught. 

That was when Hilda began to panic.

“Claude, she blocked your arrow.” 

“I-I know.” Hilda had never heard Claude stutter. Not like this. Not with an actual wobble to his voice. Not with an undertone of fear and panic. 

“What do we do?” 

“I-I don’t…” Claude took a visible breath. “We have to stop her. She’s going to hurt herself at this rate.” Claude had steeled his voice. This was an order.

“We can’t fight her. She’s one of us.”

“I know, but we can’t let her die. The battalions can handle the rest of the Empire. We of the Golden Deer class will handle Marianne.” Claude shouted his orders across the battlefield. 

The Golden Deer were to assemble on him. 

Together they had no trouble reaching their wayward friend. 

The sword in her hand glowed brighter the longer she held it. The light seemed to pulse, as if it were a heart beating in someone’s chest. Marianne seemed distressed. She was breathing heavy and looked at them with pleading eyes. 

“Please… Make it stop…”

* * *

“Please… Make it stop…” 

Marianne had no idea what was going on. She didn’t remember leaving her post in the rear. She doesn’t remember dismounting Dorte and rushing through everyone in her path. She was covered in blood, she felt it staining her clothes, her arms, and neck. She thinks she registers some on her face too. 

She didn’t remember any of it. What she does remember is a quiet whisper. It was something telling her to pull Blutgang out of its sheath and use it, hold it and _don’t let go of it._

She looked down at her hand and could see the white knuckle grip she had on it. She couldn’t let go. She _couldn’t let go_. 

“Please, I can’t stop. Help me.” She looked at the Golden Deer. Her friends. Her family. 

They could help her; they had to be able to help her. 

“Please, please, please, please.” Marianne didn’t quite know who she was asking for help. Maybe it was the Golden Deer. Maybe it was the Professor. Maybe she was asking for the very Goddess herself to help. All Marianne knew was that an impending sense of _danger_ lurked in her mind. 

She felt Blutgang pulse in her hand. Sending a shock straight up her arm. She quickly turned and struck down an Imperial soldier trying to sneak up behind her. 

Blutgang pulsed again. And again. It was practically a beating heart, held in the palm of her hand. The pulsing increased and increased until black tendrils extended from the crest stone and wrapped around her hand. 

She screamed in shock and pain. 

The voices of the Golden Deer rose in shock, horror, fear, and concern. 

“STOP! PLEASE! NO!” 

“Mari!” Hilda’s voice rang out amongst all the others.

“GET IT OUT!” Marianne screamed as loud as she could. The black tendrils spread faster and faster. 

“PLEASE STOP!” Marianne could feel the way her body was swallowed up and transformed as a vessel fueling the beast that took over her. 

“PLEASE - “ her voice was cut off by a grotesque roar. 

Her transformation was complete. 

Her final thought was 

_I guess I really am nothing but a monster._

* * *

The deer scrambled to do something. Anything to save Marianne but the relic worked fast and by the time Hilda’s axe came crashing down on where Marianne’s sword arm once was, she met the scales of a beast. 

_No not Mari._

The deer quickly assembled under Claude’s command. He ordered the deer to defeat the beast. 

_No not beast. Mari. It was Mari we were fighting._

“We defeat her by trying to drain her energy first. If that doesn’t do it. Then we give the fight our all.” 

The fight was brutal. Marianne was relentless in her attacks. She didn’t hold back unlike the deer. It wasn’t until the Professor joined us after handling the Imperial general that they ordered the deer to fight with everything they had. 

After that the fight was in their favor. 

It wasn’t until the form of the beast Mari took dissipated that Hilda, Claude and the Professor ran up to the fallen healer. 

They quickly rolled Marianne onto her back and they checked her pulse, her breathing and… 

Nothing.

There was nothing. 

Hilda felt tears, real actually tears, not her fake ones used to guilt people into doing her work, but genuine burning tears well up in her eyes and she held Mari close and just cried. 

Full body sobs racked her delicate frame. She couldn’t breath past her clogged throat and her tears were tracking to her mouth and she tasted salt and she _couldn’t breath._

She just held Mari close. 

A shudder ran through the body Hilda held close. 

A soft and familiar voice spoke. 

“H-Hilda?”

**Author's Note:**

> This is day six of whumptober. I am glad that I was able to put as much time and effort in this fic as the previous ones. I am very happy with how it turned out and hope you enjoy it! I shall continue the challenge until the end of the month. I can't wait to see this series to its end!


End file.
